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Reminiscent of days gone by in Arniston, the Williamson clan chose to get together for the first time in many years. The above photograph encapsulates the happiness, strength and energy reflected by various members who had in some instances not been together for many years. Eagleyes was the perfect venue for this unique weekend, hosting 14 people with ease in consumate luxury & class that went a long way to making this Stanford–based happening the event that it was.

Braaing on a generous fire – of Dante‘s proportions, Steve Leith, braaimaster of note, cooked up a storm that was the centrepiece of a feast fitting for the occasion with 18 seated comfortably in the dining room. Memories were stirred, stories recounted and a wonderful weekend was enjoyed by all. Everyone present were generous in their praise of Eagleyes as the perfect venue for such a gathering.

How wonderful, successful and memorable our weekend in Stanford was. Thank you both for ALL you did to make our stay so special. Royd – you spent hours researching everything possible to add interest to Richard’s programme. Thank you for going the extra twenty miles! The club members have sent in so many notes thanking us, saying how varied and interesting it all was and commenting on your warm and generous hospitality. Eagleyes was a fantastic venue. We were privileged to be the first people to use it! (My apologies once again for the cracked bowl and the wobbly knife!)

I hope the Tourism people receive lots of amazing photos from our members. I have a few and will send them in with Richard’s.

The weekend ended off with a relaxing and wonderful lunch on your stoep; thank you – it was just perfect!

We are still in the process of researching exactly when Eagleyes Guest House (34 Bezuidenhout Street) had been built. At this stage all we know is that it was built in the early 1900s by either Hendrik Vermeulen or his son, George. The Vermeulens were a well-known Stanford and Overberg family and builders of reknown. You can read more about them here: The Vermeulens of the Overberg

The house was most probably built for Mr Pieter Stephanus de Villiers, known as “Apie”, of the farm, Bovendrift near Stanford, or for his mother. Apie was a well-known businessman in Hermanus and Stanford. In 1951, six years after the death of his father, Abraham Pieter Matthys, Apie, his mother, Martha Cornelia Susanna, and unmarried sister, Martina Cornelia Susanna (Tienie), went to live at 34 Bezuidenhout Street. Tienie de Villiers outlived both her mother and brother, and in 1979 when she moved to the old-age home in Gansbaai, the house was sold. In a letter (postal stamp on envelope: 5 March 1979) to Tienie from her niece, Gerrie, in which her last municipal account was included, Gerrie also mentioned that a certain Mr Otto’s sister-in-law bought the house from a Mr Thys Erwee. Who this “Mr Otto’s sister-in-law” was, is still uncertain.

Tienie & Pieter “Apie” de Villiers

Tienie de Villiers

Pieter “Apie” de Villiers’s driving lisence

Pieter “Apie” de Villiers

Obituary of Pieter “Apie” de Villiers

Tienie de Villiers on the left

Tienie de Villiers’s last Municipal Account

In 1983, 34 Bezuidenhout Street was bought from another Mr De Villiers by the Pieters family, and they lived there from 1983 to 2013.

In 2013 the house was bought by Royd and Lindsay Frith who fastidiously renovated it and brought it back to its former glory under the watchful eye of renowned local heritage architect, Maureen Wolters.